


Cupid Times Three

by Heavenly_Pearl



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime), Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Manga), Sailor Moon - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-10
Updated: 2012-02-10
Packaged: 2017-10-30 22:10:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/336686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heavenly_Pearl/pseuds/Heavenly_Pearl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In order to make Helios' Valentine's Day dream come true, the Matchmaker Trio, a.k.a. Fisheye, Tigerseye, and Hawkseye, set out to reunite their friend with his long lost true love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cupid Times Three

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko.

In a beautiful land called Elysion, three men were lounging by a stream. It was another one of those lazy days of leisure, the kind where a person could relax without worry and be content with the silent companionship of his friends. They had all become quite accustomed to such days after spending over a millennium in the dream world paradise, a far cry from their days as members of the Dead Moon Circus, and somehow, it never got old, each day as blissful as the next.

While his two companions were occupied with their own activities, Fisheye, fishing pole in hand, finished attaching a slimy worm to the end of his hook and let it fly, causing a small splash in the brook as his fish-shaped bob made contact with the water. The water was clear enough so that he could see the school of catfish scattering away from his hook, but rather than getting mad, Fisheye just smiled. Tigerseye and Hawkseye were forever amused that in all the years he had tried to fish, the one who had been a former fish himself had yet to catch anything worthwhile, but for Fisheye, it didn't matter if he caught anything or not. He simply enjoyed the attempt.

Besides, he had always hated the taste of fish.

It didn't take long for Fisheye to reach his relaxation point. Leaning his back against a nearby large boulder, he closed his eyes and rested his muscles as he waited for the tell-tale tug that indicated he had caught something.

 _This really is the life,_ he thought to himself, enjoying the soft breeze blowing against his face.

His contentment did not last for long. Hearing the faint sound of hooves in the distance, Fisheye lazily opened one eye to see a magnificent white winged unicorn trotting over to the stream from the opposite bank, a handsome young man riding atop his back. As Pegasus stopped to quench his thirst, the man raised a hand in greeting, and Fisheye waved back, happy as always to see their beloved guardian.

Once again, Fisheye couldn't help but be amazed by how strangely things had turned out. Despite all the trouble they had caused for him during their time as the infamous Amazon Trio, their one-time former enemy had become a dear friend and father-figure to them, the Elysion priest's endless capacity for compassion proving even the worst sins could be forgiven. Back during their days on the side of evil, Fisheye never would have thought their lives would have turned out this way, but he would be eternally grateful to Priest Helios for everything he had done for him and his friends.

"Hey, Helios-sama, care to join us?" he shouted, interrupting the peaceful tranquility. "We don't mind the company. The more, the merrier!"

Across the stream, the silver-haired priest of Elysion shook his head. "Thank you for the kind offer, Fisheye, but I really must be returning back to the shrine," he replied back. "It's almost time for my afternoon prayer session. Perhaps some other time."

"Oh…okay. Bye, Helios-sama."

As the priest tugged on his horse's reins, directing Pegasus back to the shrine of Elysion, Fisheye frowned, getting the distinct feeling that something fishy was going on. Priest Helios was often busy with his duties, but he knew for a fact that afternoon prayers started promptly three. It was only a little after one, so he should have had plenty to time to hang out with them. Why would he lie?

The question wouldn't leave him even as Fisheye returned back to concentrating on his fishing, unable to ease back into sense of relaxation he had felt before. Something was nagging him about the look he had seen in the priest's golden eyes, which now that he thought about it, didn't seem as bright as they usually were. It was the look they usually saw only about once a year - Valentine's Day.

The holiday was coming up, wasn't it? The day of romance was one of the busiest days of the year in the dream world, and preparations had been in the works for the last week or so to handle the influx of beautiful dreamers that were sure to visit with their lovers. It should have been a time of happiness for all the citizens of the magical world, but starting about a couple years ago, Fisheye and the others had noticed a change in Priest Helios. He didn't get as excited as he used to about the holiday; in fact, he acted downright melancholic. Tigerseye even took to calling him the Valentine Scrooge.

Setting his fishing pole against the boulder, Fisheye brought his knees to his chest and sighed. They still didn't know what had caused Priest Helios to dislike what had once been one of his favorite holidays, but Fisheye had a fairly good idea. It was pretty obvious when you thought about it - Valentine's Day was for lovers, and the priest hadn't had a girlfriend in the entire time they had known him.

It was one of the most intriguing mysteries of the dream world, one that fueled plenty of gossip amongst the citizens - why hadn't their beloved priest ever taken a lover? He was certainly handsome enough, and plenty girls (and more than a few guys) had tried to catch his eye, but he never responded to their advances.

"Hey, guys," Fisheye said quietly, but loud enough so that his companions could hear, "do you think it's strange that Helios-sama doesn't have a lover?"

Tigerseye, who was sitting nearer to Fisheye, paused in mid-brush and shrugged. "Not really," he replied disinterestedly. "He's a priest; those guys take a vow of chastity."

"You're thinking of Catholic priests, Tigerseye," Hawkseye corrected from his spot on the grass, not even bothering to look up from the book he was reading as he turned the page. "As far as I know, the priest of Elysion takes no such vow."

"Really?" A green eye twitched. "You mean to tell me that even though he lives alone in that shrine with those babelicious Maenads, he willingly keeps his hands to himself? That's so wrong."

"Maybe he just doesn't like women," Fisheye suggested, an idea that was met with a fit uncontrollable giggles from both of his comrades, much to his irritation.

"I highly doubt Helios-sama is like you, Fisheye," the pink-haired man snorted, wiping a tear of laughter from his face.

"Besides," Tigerseye added, flipping his long golden hair over his shoulder, "if he was, he would have made a move on me years ago. Nobody, be it man or woman, can resist my undeniable beauty."

Accustomed to Tigerseye's super-sized ego, which seemed to grow even larger with every passing year, Fisheye rolled his eyes. "Believe me, it's not that hard to do."

"Why you!"

In retaliation, Tigerseye threw his brush in Fisheye's direction, but managed to miss entirely when the target ducked safely out of the way of the flying projectile. As the brush landed with a loud splash in the water, Hawkseye finally closed his book and came over to take a seat by Fisheye. Meanwhile, Tigerseye, nearly in hysterics when he saw what happened, jumped in the river in a desperate attempt to save his prized possession.

Neither paid attention to him.

"Fisheye, what brought up this subject?" Hawkseye asked.

"I was just thinking about Valentine's Day. It's tomorrow, you know."

"So it is…"

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if Helios-sama had his own Valentine?" Fisheye wondered aloud. "He looks so lonely sometimes, especially at this time of year."

"If he's lonely, it's his own stupid fault." The declaration came from a soaking-wet Tigerseye, who had caught the last part of their conversation as he climbed back out of the river, brush victoriously in hand. "The guy has two golden opportunities right under his nose, and he doesn't even take advantage of it."

"Oh, get your mind out of the gutter, Tigerseye," Hawkseye scolded him. "Not all men are as lecherous as you."

Wringing the water out of his wet hair, Tigerseye raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you didn't exactly refuse when I asked if you wanted to spy on Eos and Aurora while they bathed yesterday in the lake."

"Yes, well…"

A pink blush crawled up Hawkseye's face, almost matching the shade of his hair, and almost simultaneously, the two heterosexual members of their group broke into severe nosebleeds at the memory of the nubile shrine maidens frolicking in the waters of the lake.

Fisheye scoffed. For the life of him, he would never understand why the other two found the female form so attractive. "You two are a couple of pigs. I certainly hope you don't spy on me while I'm bathing."

"Don't worry; we don't," Tigerseye assured him.

"Never even considered it," Hawkseye said.

"Hrmph!"

Offended, Fisheye folded his arms over his chest and turned around. Those two obviously had no taste if they would rather spy on the Maenads than him.

"So, what do you propose we do about this Helios thing?" Tigerseye asked Hawkseye. "Maybe the guy could use a little help in the dating department after all."

"We could always try matchmaking," he suggested.

Fisheye turned back around, his interest piqued. "Matchmaking? What's that?"

"I was just reading about it in this book." Hawkseye reached for the hardcover book he had been reading before and held it up for the others to see. It was an early edition of "Emma" by famed author Jane Austen. "One of the characters is something called a 'matchmaker' and what she does is bring together people in hopes they will make a good couple."

"Sounds like fun! Kinda like Cupid in those ancient myths, minus the whole bow-and-arrow thing."

"But who would we introduce him to?" Tigerseye asked, resuming his brushing as he attempted to get the tangles out of his hair. "This place isn't exactly Babe Central, if you know what I mean. Other than Eos and Aurora, there is a severe lack of available women in Elysion."

That much was true. There were other females around, but very few were completely human - mostly fairies and other mythical human-like creatures. Dating outside their species didn't seem to faze Tigerseye and Hawkseye, as they had once been less than human themselves, but Fisheye had a hard time picturing Priest Helios with one the beautiful nymphs that liked to frolic among the forests of Elysion or the siren mermaids that inhabited Oceania.

"Well, if we can't find anybody here, then we'll just have to look elsewhere."

Hawkseye looked up, his blood red eyes widening slightly. "You don't mean Crystal Tokyo, do you?"

"Sure, why not? We came from the Earth Realm."

"Those were special circumstances, and you know it," he reminded Fisheye. "There are very strict laws about who can enter Elysion. Only the members of the royal family and Helios can grant permission for somebody to cross over."

"Then we'll get the necessary permission when we find the girl," Fisheye declared, honestly not seeing what the big deal was. "Surely the king and queen want Helios-sama to be happy as much as we do."

"You make it sound so easy…"

"I'm with Fisheye on this one," Tigerseye said unexpectedly. It wasn't often that they agreed on anything.

Fisheye gave him a dubious look. "You are?"

"You don't have to look so shocked about," he sighed, tying his wet locks back with a piece of ribbon at the nape of his neck. "Look, finding Helios-sama a girl is the least we can do after everything he has done for us. Without him, we never would have been given this second chance to be humans."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Tigerseye's right. What better way to say 'thank you' for all Helios-sama has done for us than by bringing him his one true love?" Fisheye asked Hawkseye, who appeared to be weakening. "Please, Hawkseye? Will you help us? Pretty please with an anchovy on top?"

The pink-haired man sighed. "Okay, okay, I'm in," he agreed, "but only because I'm afraid what kind of girl you two would choose for him if I wasn't around to be the voice of reason."

"Somebody who isn't a grandmother?" Tigerseye teased.

"I go after one elderly woman…"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One hundred kingdoms and three hours later, the trio met back at the shrine, not a single success between them.

"Any luck, guys?" Hawkseye asked as he walked over to the others who had been waiting. Thanks to the luck of the red-tipped straw, he had been designated as the one to search the odd-kingdom-out when they had assigned territories.

Fisheye, looking positively dejected as he sat on the steps of the shrine, shook his head. "No, I couldn't find anybody that would make a good match for Helios-sama," he said.

"Tigerseye?"

"Same here," the blond former tiger replied, his back leaning against one of the shrine's pillars and arms crossed over his chest. "I found a few cute girls, but they weren't his type at all."

"Though I bet they were your type," Hawkseye said, knowing his friend far too well.

Tigerseye shrugged, but couldn't hide the satisfied smirk on his lips. "Hey, I can't help it if all those girls were drawn to my natural beauty."

The effeminate man rolled his ocean-blue eyes. "If they were so drawn to you, then why don't you have a date for Valentine's Day?"

"Oh, shut up, Fisheye. It's not like you had any luck either, which is pretty pathetic. Wasn't one of your assigned kingdoms Fairytopia? That kingdom's citizens are notorious for being like you."

"I simply wasn't trying," he huffed. "Unlike you, I didn't use this mission as my own personal dating service. All my focus was on finding Helios-sama a girlfriend. Believe me, if I had tried my best, I would have a whole harem of beautiful fairies."

"Sure you would…"

"Guys, can we focus on the subject at hand?" Hawkseye asked, rubbing his temple. He felt the beginnings of a severe headache coming on, not an uncommon ailment when dealing with those two. "We don't have time to argue about this!"

Fisheye and Tigerseye shared a knowing look. "Ooo, looks like somebody else doesn't have a date for Valentine's Day," Tigerseye teased in a sing-song voice.

As if he needed a reminder…

"Come on, guys, we have less than a day left before Valentine's," Hawkseye reminded them. "If we're going to find Helios-sama a date in time, we're going to have to step up the search. Since our exploration of the dream worlds was fruitless, it looks like we'll have to search the Earth Realm after all."

It was not his idea of a good plan, but it looked like the dreamers were their last hope. Their search had made it obvious that they wouldn't find Priest Helios a lover in his home world.

"How are we going to do that?" Tigerseye inquired. "It's not like we can exactly cross over to the other side."

"Hmm…"

Three pairs of eyebrows knotted together as they tried to come up with a plan. Searching the Earth Realm was easier said than done. They could spy on and even teleport themselves into dreams - though there was an unspoken rule against it - but they could not physically enter the Earth Realm without Helios' power.

Hawkseye, coming up with nothing, was about to suggest they just forget about the whole thing when Fisheye suddenly shot up from his seat on the steps, jumping up and down in excitement.

"I've got it! I've got it!" he exclaimed before running off without them.

"Oy, Fisheye, wait up!" Tigerseye shouted.

Hearing his shouts, the blue-haired man stopped at the entrance of the shrine and waited for Hawkseye and Tigerseye to catch up. The trio then entered the holy shrine of Elysion, Hawkseye wondering exactly what kind of plan Fisheye had concocted as the sound of their high heels echoed softly against the marble floors.

"Where are you taking us, Fisheye?"

Pivoting around, Fisheye brought a scaly green finger to his lips. "Just follow me and be quiet," he whispered.

That did not sound good.

Eventually, Fisheye paused in front of a door at the end of the main corridor marked "Private: Personnel Only." Hawkseye recognized the gold-plated door from the tour of the shrine Priest Helios had given them when they first arrived in Elysion. It was one of the few places they were expressively forbidden to enter - along with Eos' and Aurora's respective bedrooms.

"The Dream Machine?" Hawkseye asked, the feeling of dread deepening as he realized what the former fish planned to do. He didn't mind breaking the occasional rule or two, but they were talking about hacking into the most important computer in the world. "Fisheye, if Helios-sama ever found out we were in here…"

Kneeling down in front of the door, Fisheye plucked a bobby pin out of his long blue hair and got to work on picking the lock. "Who says he ever has to find out? Besides, that computer holds information about every single dreamer in the Earth Realm. If we want to find Helios-sama a girlfriend before tomorrow, this is the most time efficient way," he explained, twisting the knob once he heard the click and letting the door swing open.

In contrast to the Old World charm of the rest of the ancient shrine, the revealed secret room was very modern in appearance, looking like something out of a sci-fi movie. Three of the four walls were completely taken up by the enormous computer, one side which consisted mostly of the largest big screen TV they had ever seen in their life and a strange looking keyboard with keys for every character and letter from every written language ever spoken on Earth. Three chairs were provided, one each for Helios, Aurora, and Eos. Entering the room, Fisheye took a seat in the middle chair, the one in front of the keyboard, and swiveled around to face Hawkseye and Tigerseye, who were still standing in the doorway.

"Come on, guys. Take a seat," he said, indicating the other two chairs with a wave of his hand while he spun around again. "There's work to be done."

Looking over at Hawkseye, Tigerseye shrugged. "I suppose it's worth a shot," he said, taking the chair on the left and letting out a low whistle as he looked up at the giant screen. "Man, I wonder if they get cable here…"

"Ooo, let's put it on _Queer Eye for the Straight Guy_!" Fisheye said, for the moment completely forgetting why he had brought them there in the first place. "It's been forever since I've watched that show. Now if I can only figure out how to turn this thing on…"

"Hold it." Coming inside, Hawkseye grabbed the arm of the rabid "Fab Five" fan and prevented him from pressing the glowing red button in front of him. He didn't exactly agree with using the Dream Machine for their mission, but if it was their only hope, then he was going to make sure it was done right. The last thing they needed was to start a dream world disaster. "First of all, that show was canceled centuries ago, and secondly, if we're going to do this, then I'm going to be the one in charge. Get out of the way, Fisheye."

"Why do you get to be in charge?" Tigerseye asked testily as Fisheye reluctantly moved over to the other chair, mumbling something about idiot network executives and discrimination under his breath.

"Because you two idiots are liable to crash the thing," Hawkseye replied, pulling out the handy owner's instruction manual, which was luckily sitting out in plain sight.

"Hey!" his two friends cried in unison.

Ignoring them, Hawkseye typed a command into the computer and pulled up the dreamers' database. The large screen suddenly came to life, casting a soft blue glow as a list of names appeared in alphabetical order before their eyes. Hitting a couple more keys, Hawkseye managed to set up a query for their search.

"Okay, what qualities do we want this dream girl to have?" he asked his partners-in-matchmaking.

"She has to be hot," Tigerseye insisted. "Very hot, with a knock-out body."

Hawkseye typed the word "attractive," choosing not to pay attention to the glare the blond was giving him. "What else?"

"Oh, she has to be sweet and kind," Fisheye said.

"But feisty, with a sense of adventure," Tigerseye added.

Typing in their suggestions, Hawkseye chimed in with, "Intelligent, not necessarily a brainiac, but somebody with a good head on her shoulders. And witty - a good conversationalist."

"Fun-loving!"

"Young." Tigerseye made a point of emphasizing the word, undoubtedly for his benefit.

"Young, but mature," Hawkseye amended with a roll of his eyes. "Late teens to early twenties."

"Brave."

"Somebody with a wild side…"

"Sense of humor is always a plus."

"Compassionate…"

"…and passionate."

"Good-hearted…"

They continued like that for a good five minutes, tossing back and forth ideas and listing every quality they thought Priest Helios would want in a lover. By the time they were done, even Hawkseye was impressed, though a little worried that they wouldn't find a single match among the millions of girls listed in the database. A girl like that was almost too good to be true.

"Anything else?" he asked before running the query.

"Oh, we forgot the most important thing of all," Fisheye said, slapping a hand to his forehead. "It has to be somebody with a beautiful dream - an absolute must."

With a flourish, Hawkseye typed in the words "beautiful dreamer", then hit the "Run Query" button. It only took a couple of minutes before a list of possible candidates appeared on the screen.

Though he had thought they would be lucky even to find a handful of matches, Hawkseye was surprised when he looked up to see at least ten thousands names on the screen, maybe even more. All three of their hopeful faces dropped at the shear number of candidates. They had significantly narrowed the scope of their search, but not by nearly enough.

"Look at all those names…" Tigerseye murmured, looking up at the screen. "There's no way we can get through all of those by tomorrow, even if we decided to divide the workload between us."

"Isn't there anyway you can shorten the list, Hawkseye?" Fisheye asked, twirling a strand of his blue hair around his finger.

Frowning at the results, Hawkseye shook his head. He could try, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. "I could run another query with more specific qualities, but there's no guarantee the new list will be much shorter."

A disappointed sigh escaped from Fisheye's lips. "Maybe this is hopeless after all," he said, banging his forehead against the computer's control panel and accidentally turning on one of the smaller screens.

Hawkseye nearly jumped out of his skin when a loud male voice, which sounded strangely familiar, filled the room. "Fisheye!"

"What?" Glancing over at the screen that had been turned on, Fisheye blushed sheepishly. "Oops?"

Oops? He had possibly damaged a piece of important equipment, and that was all he had to say? Enraged, Hawkseye pushed Fisheye's chair out of the way and began flipping through the manual for a way to turn the screen off without causing any more damage, or at least turn down the volume. The last thing they needed was for one of the Maenads or Priest Helios to come barging in, wondering what the commotion was all about.

If Fisheye managed to get them kicked out of Elysion…

"Wait, Hawkseye," Tigerseye ordered, rolling his chair over to the screen and holding his arm out. "Don't turn it off just yet. This might be exactly what we need."

Pausing in mid-page turn, Hawkseye looked over at the monitor, for the first time realizing what it was showing - the priest of Elysion standing in the middle of the Crystal Forest, his arms wrapped around a pretty girl wearing an unusual hairstyle.

"Is that Helios-sama?" Fisheye asked, his ocean-blue eyes widening as he stared at the couple on the screen. "But I thought he didn't have a girlfriend…"

Hawkseye was similarly flabbergasted by the sight. "Is this a surveillance camera?" he wondered aloud, turning to the manual's index for more information.

Tigerseye shook his head. "I doubt it, Hawkseye," he said, looking over at the time displayed on the computer. "Helios-sama should be at the tower, praying, right now. This is showing the Crystal Forest at night. It can't be a surveillance camera, unless this is an old tape."

"You're right." Setting the manual aside, Hawkseye studied the image of the priest and the girl more closely. They still couldn't see the girl's face, as she had her back turned toward them, but her hair was cotton-candy pink, and she was wearing a long, flowing gown made of iridescent fabric trimmed with gold. "A dream, then?" he guessed. "Helios-sama's dream?"

"I didn't know Helios-sama had a dream."

"Why wouldn't he?" Fisheye asked Tigerseye.

The blond shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I just never imagine him sleeping."

"The guy has to sleep sometime. He may be the priest of Elysion, but he's not superhuman."

"But who is that girl?" Hawkseye mused.

Turning back to the monitor, the trio began silently watching the dream playing out before them, their eyes glued to the screen. Hawkseye felt a slight twinge of guilt spying on their friend's obviously private and personal dream, but he kept reminding himself that it was for a good cause. If they could figure out the identity of the girl, then maybe they could use the information to really make his dream come true.

When the girl finally turned around, giving them the first real look at her face, Fisheye gasped.

"That's her!" he exclaimed excitedly, jumping up from his chair.

"Who?" Hawkseye asked. The girl didn't look the least bit familiar to him, though beside him, Tigerseye also seemed to have experienced a jolt of recognition.

"The keeper of Pegasus - it's her! I know it is!"

"Are you sure, Fisheye?" Tigerseye asked, squinting. "I admit she does look kinda familiar, but…"

"No, it's definitely her," he insisted. "Older, but I'd recognize that hairstyle anywhere."

Beyond confused, Hawkseye frowned. "What the heck are you two guys talking about?"

"Oh, you wouldn't remember her, Hawkseye. You were dead at the time."

"Ah, that brings back fond memories…" he muttered, remembering what had happened all those years ago. During their last mission as members of the Amazon Trio, he had sacrificed his life to save Fisheye against the attack of that freaky pierrot doll, jumping in front of him and receiving a fatal stab in the chest. Even after all that time, Hawkseye still winced when he recalled that event, and unconsciously, he brought his hand over his breast, rubbing the area where he still bore a scar.

It was yet another reason why he was so grateful to Priest Helios, perhaps even more than the others. If Helios hadn't found it in his heart to forgive them for their many sins against him, he would probably still be dead.

"But that was over a thousand years ago," Tigerseye pointed out. "That girl must have died years ago."

Fisheye shook his head. "You forget, Tigerseye, that during most of that time, Earth was covered in ice. It's not so unrealistic that she would still be alive, especially considering she was a senshi, but I would have thought she would be a bit older."

"So you really think Helios-sama has the hots for this girl?"

The most romantic of them didn't even have to think twice. "Of course he does! Just look at the way he's looking at her… It's definitely love."

"But who is she?" Hawkseye asked again. "Either of you happen to have a name? Helios-sama just keeps calling her 'my maiden.'"

"Sorry," Fisheye apologized, frowning. "I know she was Sailor Chibi Moon, but I never caught her civilian name. Maybe you could do a search in the database for 'Tsukino'? I remember that was the name of the family whose house she lived in."

"I could, but do you realize how many Tsukinos there are in the Earth Realm?" Hawkseye sighed. They were so close, yet so far away.

There had to be a way to find out the identity of the mystery woman…

"Well, what about a search for pink-haired, red eyed teenage girls?" Tigerseye suggested. "There can't be a lot of those around."

"That might work!"

Going back over to the keyboard, Hawkseye started a fresh query and typed in the words "pink hair" and "red eyes". As Tigerseye had predicted, the query resulted in a short list.

So short, in fact, that it only listed one name.

"Princess Lady Serenity," Tigerseye read aloud, letting out a low whistle. "The guy dreams big."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Small Lady! Small Lady!"

Turning around, the not-quite-so-small crown princess of Crystal Tokyo smiled when she saw her guardian cat Diana racing down the hall, the bell on her collar tinkling brightly with every move she made. Though Diana was fully grown, sometimes she still reminded Princess Lady Serenity of that adorably cute, naïve kitten she used to be.

"What is it, Diana?" Serenity asked, gracefully kneeling down to pet the gray-furred cat. "You look as if you've just one the lottery."

"More like you won the lottery, Small Lady," Diana announced breathlessly. "I just came from a meeting with the king and queen, and guess who has accepted your Valentine's Day invitation to the palace."

"I don't know. Who?"

"Prince Perle of Marzipan! Aren't you lucky! The Marzipan prince is regarded as one of the most eligible bachelors in the universe."

"Yeah, lucky…"

Serenity forced herself to smile at the news. After all, it wasn't as if it would be that horrible to spend one of the most romantic days of the year with Prince Perle. Out of all the suitors she had met since her coming-of-age party last year, he was by far her favorite, and she considered him a very dear friend.

But still…

Cocking her head to the side, Diana gave her mistress a concerned look. "Small Lady, you don't seem very excited. Aren't you looking forward to the prince's visit?"

"Of course I am," she said, rising back to a standing position and unlocking the door to her bedroom. "You know I always enjoy Perle-sama's company."

"But you aren't in love with him, are you?" the feline asked, following Serenity into the bedroom.

Sighing, Serenity took a seat at her vanity and started unraveling her odango. She should have known she couldn't fool her oldest and dearest friend.

"I do love Perle-sama, but only as a friend," Serenity admitted as she reached for a silver-plated brush and ran it through her mass of silky pink hair. "I feel none of the passion or excitement my parents share in their relationship."

Diana, jumping on the neatly-made bed, frowned. "Then why do you keep leading him on, Small Lady? It's not fair to either one of you if you know you truly don't love him."

"I know… But maybe, in time, I could learn to love him. I mean, he is handsome, and kind, and very, very sweet…"

Even as she said the words, though, Serenity knew it would never happen. She had tried her hardest to make herself fall in love Prince Perle over the last few months, but the best she could muster was a feeling of deep friendship toward the fairy prince. Her heart never skipped a beat in his presence, and their kisses were completely without passion. She might as well be kissing her brother, if she had happened to have one.

The truth was, only one person inspired the feelings of true romance in her heart, but he had forgotten her long ago. In her mind, Serenity knew she was silly for still holding onto a childhood crush, one that had developed in a time even before she was born, but a part of her had hoped she would see him again.

He promised he would come.

As the years went by, however, Serenity began to realize that it was a pointless dream. Only a little over a decade had passed since she went to the past and fought the Dead Moon Circus, but to him, an entire millennium had gone by. Serenity didn't even know if he was still alive, to be honest. She thought about asking her parents a couple of times, but always stopped herself just in time.

As horrible as it sounded, sometimes it was easier to pretend that he had died, rather than to think that he had forgotten her, or worse. At least then she was only sad at his passing, and not angered at his broken promise.

Breaking her thoughts away from her former love, Serenity finished styling her long hair in the usual braid she wore to bed and changed into a flowing nightgown of white satin. Her maids would undoubtedly rise her early to prepare for Prince Perle's visit, so she figured she might as well get her beauty rest. Saying goodnight to a purring Diana, who had already curled up into a ball at the foot of her bed, Serenity slipped underneath the silk seats and closed her eyes, soon falling into a deep sleep.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was time for Part B of their plan to be put into action.

With the discovery of the name of Priest Helios' dream girl, the rest of their plan actually became much simpler to carry out. Instead of worrying about getting the king's and queen's permission for an Earth dreamer to cross over into Elysion, all they had to do was convince the princess to come with them, her royal lineage allowing her automatic passage into the mystical world of dreams. The only thing standing in their way was Prince Charming.

Or, more specifically, her Prince Charming - the one they unexpectedly found standing at the bottom of the long staircase of the princess's dream, dressed in full military regalia and handsome in a kind of bland, pretty boy way. Not even Fisheye had found him that interesting, barely giving the prince a second look before turning back to the others.

"That girl has absolutely no taste," he said with a disappointed sigh. "How cliché can she get? Tall, dark and handsome? Please! Helios-sama is by far the better match for her."

Tigerseye found himself agreeing with Fisheye, which didn't happen often. "Heck, even I would make a much better Prince Charming than that guy."

"I'm glad you think that, Tigerseye," Hawkseye declared, "because you're going to take his place."

Tigerseye raised a surprised eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, excuse me?" Fisheye repeated, hands on hips. "Why does he get to be Prince Charming? I want to wear the pretty uniform!"

"Fisheye, you couldn't pull off the role of a straight dream guy even if your life depended on it," Hawkseye said, ignoring the former fish's pouting lips.

"What about you?" Tigerseye asked suspiciously, wondering why Hawkseye didn't offer himself for the role. Normally they would both would be jumping at the chance, trying to prove who was the more handsome between them - an argument Tigerseye often won, even if it was only in his own mind.

"I would, but I'm afraid my hair would give me away before she even made it down the steps," he said, patting the spikes in his deep pink hair. "This job calls for somebody with a bland hairstyle like yours. Pull it back in a ponytail and she'll never know the difference."

"Hey, my hair is not bland! Do you realize how long it takes in the morning -- ?"

"Unfortunately, I do," Hawkseye said, slapping a glove-covered hand Tigerseye's mouth. He hadn't realized how loud he had been speaking. "Now, be quiet. The princess should be going to bed soon, so we only have a short time before she arrives."

Nodding, Tigerseye promised to be quiet as Hawkseye brought back down his hand and turned back to the prince, his blood red eyes narrowed in concentration. Among the three of them, he seemed to have taken up the role of the planner.

"So, what's the plan, Hawkseye?" Tigerseye asked, remembering to lower his voice so that the bored-looking prince couldn't hear them in the shadows. "Beat him up? Tie him up? Kidnap him?"

Hawkseye shook his head. "No, no, no. If Helios-sama found out that we had hijacked somebody's dream and beat up a Prince Charming, he would throw us out of Elysion for sure, true love or not."

"Then what will we do?"

"Simple." Reaching into the pocket of his skirt, the former hawk pulled out a roll of colorful bills, which looked a lot like the money that came from a "Monopoly" game, and held it up for an impressed Tigerseye and Fisheye to see. "We'll pay him off."

"Where in the world did you get that money?" Fisheye demanded to know, grabbing the roll from Hawkseye's hand and flipping through the bills. "There must be at least a thousand dreamoleans in here."

The pink-haired man smirked, taking the money back and placing it back in his skirt pocket. "Unlike you two, I know how to save my allowance."

"Do we have to contribute too?" Tigerseye inquired, patting the back of his tights for his almost-empty wallet. Even though Helios had just given their allowance yesterday, he had already gone through most of it during a shopping trip with Fisheye in the Land of Beauty.

Hey, a man needed his hair care products!

Hawkseye sighed as Fisheye out-turned the pockets of his bodysuit, revealing he was even poorer than Tigerseye was. He wasn't even carrying a wallet, just a handful of loose change. "I take it that you two are broke once again?" he guessed correctly. "Fine, I'll pay for your thirds, but it's only a loan. I expect to be paid back in full, with interest."

"Thanks, Hawkseye."

With the money situation figured out - Fisheye managed to convince Hawkseye to only give the prince three hundred instead of the original thousand - they then revealed themselves to the surprised Prince Charming, who immediately drew out his very long and pointy sword.

"Who goes there?" the prince asked, the tip of his sword right under Fisheye's chin. "Who dare disturbs this girl's beautiful dream?"

"It is us, the Matchmaker Trio," the blue-haired man replied, holding up his hands in surrender. His girlish voice was a little shaky as the sword continued to linger near his face. "We intend no harm."

"The Matchmaker Trio?" Evidently deciding they were hardly a threat, the prince sheathed his sword back in his intricately design golden scabbard and gave them the once-over. "Never heard of you."

"We're a new group," Tigerseye explained, picking up where Fisheye had left off, "and we're prepared to offer you a very generous deal."

"Very generous," Hawkseye reiterated, holding up the three hundred dreamoleans. "All you have to do is take the night off."

The prince arched an eyebrow, doubtful of their offer. "Take the night off? What for?"

"Let's just say we have business with the princess."

"I don't know… How do I know you aren't somebody from one of the nightmare worlds?"

His concern was not unwarranted. It wasn't unusual for citizens of the nightmare worlds to hijack beautiful dreams, turning dreams of beauty into dreams of darkness, and they often disguised themselves as people the dreamers knew.

Tigerseye, thinking fast, reached into his pocket and pulled out his passport, personally issued by Priest Helios himself. Once the prince saw that they were in fact citizens of Elysion, and further more, under the care of the priest, he became a lot more cooperative.

"So, I take the night off, and you pay me three hundred dreamoleans?" Prince Charming asked, making sure he had his facts straight before making a final decision. He scratched his chin, deep in thought. "I do admit, it is a good deal. That's nearly three times what I get paid a night…"

"So you'll do it?"

"Would I have to do anything else?"

"No, not at all," Hawkseye assured him. "All we need is that uniform, and you can have the entire night to yourself."

"Whoa!" The prince held up his hand. "What's this about my uniform? You didn't say anything about that before."

"Well, Tigerseye here is going to pretend to be you for the night."

"Him?" Prince Charming looked doubtful as he looked Tigerseye over with a bored eye. "Not quite pretty enough to be a Prince Charming, but I suppose he'll do…"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M NOT PRETTY ENOUGH!" Tigerseye yelled, enraged.

It took both Hawkseye and Fisheye each grabbing an arm to keep Tigerseye from slamming a punch right into that noble, stuck-up nose. How dare that pretty boy prince have the nerve to say he wasn't attractive enough to be a Prince Charming! He was ten times more handsome than that sorry excuse for a dream date.

"Sorry about that," Fisheye apologized, somehow managing to pin Tigerseye's arm behind his back. "Tigerseye has the tendency to be sensitive when it comes to his looks, but he promises to behave. Right, Tigerseye?"

Tigerseye glared over the former fish, but eventually managed to rein in his temper. He supposed he could take one minor blow to his ego if it meant making Priest Helios' dream come true. Once the other two were convinced that he had no intention of hitting the prince, they let him go, and Hawkseye led Prince Charming to a conveniently placed closet to change out of the uniform, which he also promised to have dry-cleaned before returning the next day. That, more than anything, seemed to seal the deal, though Tigerseye and Fisheye were none too happy about the added cost.

A short time later, Tigerseye was dressed in the borrowed uniform and admiring his handsome reflection in a full-length mirror. He had to admit he looked gorgeous in the elegant dark blue jacket and white pants with matching blue piping along the seams. The multitude of brightly polished metals across his chest shone brilliantly whenever he moved, and Tigerseye enjoyed the weight of the sword against his side.

"Not bad, not bad at all," he commented, marveling how good his butt looked in the pants. Perhaps he would even get himself a pair to replace the tiger-striped tights he normally wore. "And that Prince Charming didn't think I was pretty enough to wear the uniform… He doesn't know what he's talking about!"

"Come on, Prince Charming," Fisheye said, pushing Tigerseye back in the direction of the staircase while rolling his eyes. "No time to preen in front of the mirror. It's showtime!"

Tigerseye nearly fell face first on the marble floor, stumbling from the force of Fisheye's shove, but managed to grab onto the railing of the staircase just in time. Composing himself, he smoothed out the few non-existent wrinkles in his clothes and turned his attention to the top of the stairs.

There, a beautiful young girl stood standing, one white-gloved hand on the rail while the other clutched at a locket she wore around her neck. Dressed in a pale pink ball gown that almost matched the shade of her hair, Tigerseye immediately recognized her as the girl they had seen in Priest Helios' dream.

As the princess slowly began descending the staircase, Tigerseye couldn't help but think that she had grown into a beautiful young woman since the last time he had seen her all those years ago. If not for Priest Helios, he honestly might have considered taking her for himself. Flawless skin, striking ruby eyes, fantastic figure…

"Cut it out, Tigerseye," he muttered to himself as the princess suddenly stopped near the end of the marble staircase.

"Finally, you have come, my Prince Charming," Princess Lady Serenity said, her sweet voice echoing through the ballroom. "Come forward, my love, so we may share the first of many dances."

From seemingly out of nowhere, a slow waltz began to play. Confused as to what was happening, Tigerseye glanced back at Hawkseye and Fisheye, who were hiding underneath the staircase, and saw his two friends shooing for him to play along. He shrugged, figuring what the heck, then stepped in front of the stairs, dropping into a low, gallant bow.

"Princess, may I have this dance?"

Holding out her hand to him, the princess nodded. "It would be an honor, my sweet prin-"

Red eyes, the color of wine, widened as Tigerseye rose from his bow, and immediately the crown princess of Crystal Tokyo fainted, landing straight into a surprised Tigerseye's arms. It was lucky that he was there to catch her, for if he hadn't, she most likely would have toppled down the rest of the stairs and seriously injured herself.

"Oy, what's happening?" he asked as his two friends came out of hiding to help him with the princess, who weighed more than her deceptively slender build had led him to believe.

"She fainted, you dummy!" Hawkseye exclaimed, slapping him on the back of the head before helping Tigerseye gently lay her down on the cold floor. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing! All I did was ask her to dance," he insisted. "It's not my fault that women faint at my feet whenever they see my handsome face."

Fisheye, along with Hawkseye, rolled his eyes and pulled out a small bottle from his rubber suit. "Here, this should wake her up," he said, tossing the bottle to Tigerseye. "Just wave it under her nose."

Unscrewing the top, Tigerseye took a couple of whiffs and nearly gagged at the pungent smell. "Ugh, what is this stuff? It smells like dead fish!"

"They're smelling salts from Oceania - supposedly the best in the world. People say you can even wake the dead with that stuff."

"Or kill them again…" Tigerseye muttered, using his hand as a shield from the foul odor as he placed the open bottle underneath the princess's cute button-nose. "Sorry about this, Your Highness."

They may not have been the most fragrant of smells, but the smelling salts did do their job. Within seconds of the first whiff, the princess's eyes popped opened and her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Ewww," she groaned, slowly sitting up with Hawkseye's assistance. "What are you guys trying to do? Kill me?"

"Sorry, princess," Fisheye apologized, taking back the bottle from Tigerseye and putting it away before the air around them could smell any worse. "You fainted, and that's the only thing we had on hand to revive you."

"I did?" Looking down at her dress, Princess Lady Serenity seemed to finally remember where she was. Standing, she gathered her full skirts in her hands and started looking frantically around the otherwise empty ballroom. Sometime during all the commotion, the unseen orchestra had stopped playing, making the sound of her high heels echoing against the floor extremely loud. "Where is he?" she demanded to know. "Where is my Prince Charming? And why are you three in my dream? I thought you were supposed to be in Elysion."

"Don't worry, Your Highness," Hawkseye tried to assure her. "Prince Charming's fine. We just gave him the night off."

"You WHAT?"

"After tomorrow night, you won't need him anymore, anyway," Fisheye said. "We're here to take you to your real Prince Charming."

"My real Prince Charming?" Doubtfully, she glanced over at Tigerseye. "Him?"

"You don't have to sound so disappointed," Tigerseye huffed, crossing his arms over his chest full of metals. Despite his resolve not to let his ego get in the way of their mission once again, he couldn't deny the rejection still hurt. Why wouldn't she love to have him as her real Prince Charming? She should only be so lucky! "I'll have you know, there are plenty of women out there who are dreaming of a man like me-"

Before he could finish his tirade and risk alienating the young woman, Fisheye slapped a hand over his mouth. "Sorry, princess. He's a little too narcissistic at times.

"More like all the time," Hawkseye corrected, wrapping an arm around her bare shoulders as he led her back to the staircase, "but you needn't worry. We wouldn't put you through that kind of torture."

"Then who?" the confused princess asked. "Who is my real Prince Charming?"

"Somebody you met before you were even born."

"Somebody who fought to protect your beautiful dreams from evil," Fisheye continued.

"Somebody who has been waiting for you for a very long time," Tigerseye added, his voice muffled until Fisheye finally removed the scaly hand covering his mouth.

The princess, her brows furrowed deep in thought, repeated the clues quietly to herself. It didn't take long for her to guess who they were referring to, and abruptly she looked up, surprised.

"Helios?" she asked, her voice soft and full of sadness as she sat down on one of the bottom steps of the staircase and drew her knees to her chest. "B-But I thought he had forgotten about me."

Tigerseye, surprised by Princess Lady Serenity's lack of enthusiasm, shared a look with his partners in crime. Both Fisheye and Hawkseye shrugged, neither one knowing what to make of her unexpected reaction either. They had all expected her to be jumping for joy when they told her they were going to take her to see Priest Helios, but the princess seemed positively glum.

In an uncharacteristic gesture of kindness, Tigerseye took a seat beside the princess on the steps, careful not to sit on her fancy dress, and handed her the handkerchief he found in one of the uniform's pockets. "Your Highness, Helios-sama could never forget about somebody like you," he said. "Not after what you did to help save Elysion."

"Then why didn't he come when he promised?" she wanted to know, using the handkerchief to wipe away a couple of wayward tears that began rolling down her pale cheeks. "I waited so long…"

"We don't know, Your Highness," Fisheye answered, "but we do know that he never stopped loving you."

"The question is, do you still feel the same way about him?" Hawkseye asked.

The princess didn't even have to think about it. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I still love him, with all my heart."

At that, the Matchmaker Trio broke into huge smiles, and Tigerseye stood up, offering his hand to the princess.

"Then come with us, Your Highness. There's much to plan."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day was Valentine's Day, a day of flowers and candy, kisses and hugs, dreams and romance. All around the Earth Realm and the dream world, people were enjoying the day dedicated to lovers, their dreams full of love and passion, but for one lonely priest, the day was only a reminder of what he didn't have.

A Valentine of his own.

After so many years of being on his own, Helios should have grown accustomed to not having anybody special to share the day with, but in recent years, his loneliness had caught up to him. Valentine's Day never used to bother him before. In fact, he used to look forward to the day of love, knowing that people's dreams would be especially beautiful that night.

But that was before the one he loved replaced him with another, putting an end to his own dreams of romance.

Sighing, Helios logged off the Dream Machine, having watched his fill of the lovey-dovey dreams for the day, and was about to head to the stables to take Pegasus for a ride when he was suddenly accosted by a high-pitched, excited voice calling to him from down the hall.

"Helios-sama! Helios-sama! Wait!"

Stopping in his tracks, Helios turned around to see his two pretty shrine maidens walking toward him, one who appeared to be hiding something behind her back. He suspected she had been the one who had called for him, for her quieter companion, Aurora, rarely resorted to such rowdiness.

"What is it, Eos?" he asked the white-haired Maenad as they finally caught up to him. "Nothing's wrong, is it?"

"No, of course not!" she giggled, revealing the package she had been hiding. "I just wanted to give this to you before I forgot."

"For me?" Hesitantly, Helios took the red, heart-shaped box trimmed with lots of lace and glitter, unsure of what he should make of the unexpected gift. They weren't usually in the habit of exchanging presents, not even on birthdays and holidays. "Thank you, Eos, but you know you didn 't have to give me anything for Valentine's Day…"

"Oh, it's not from me."

"It's not?" Confused, Helios glanced over at the golden-haired Aurora. "Aurora?"

Aurora shook her head. "It's not from me either, Helios-sama."

"Then who is it from?"

"We don't know," Eos replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "We just found it on the steps of the shrine a couple of hours ago. It's addressed to you, but whoever left it didn't leave a name."

"That's strange…"

Looking at the name tag attacked to the box, Helios frowned. Sure enough, all it said was _To: Helios_ in elegant gold lettering, the _From:_ spot conspicuously empty. Who in the world would leave him an anonymous gift?

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Eos asked when he made no move to look what was inside. Her violet eyes were wide with a knowing curiosity that made Helios suspect she knew something more than what she had told him.

"It's probably just a box of candy," he replied, tucking it in the crook of his arm as he turned to leave. "I'll break it open tomorrow. Thanks for making sure I received it."

"No! You have to open it now," she said, grabbing his arm to prevent him from leaving. "Whoever sent it might have put something else inside. Something important."

By then he was almost positive the Maenads knew something they weren't telling him about the mystery Valentine. Turning back around, he raised in eyebrow in Eos' direction. "Are you sure you don't know who sent this?"

"Just open it already!" she ordered, ignoring the question.

Figuring it couldn't do any harm, Helios placed the box on a nearby table and lifted up the lid. As he expected, the box was filled with rich Godiva chocolates and was otherwise as inconspicuous as a candy cane during Christmas. Helios wondered why Eos had been so insistent that he open it until Aurora bent down and picked up an envelope that must have fluttered out of the box without him knowing it.

"Here, this must be for you," she said, handing him the pink envelope.

Taking the envelope, Helios lifted the flap that had been sealed with a heart-shaped sticker and unfolded the piece of paper inside. The short note read simply: _Helios, meet me today in the Crystal Forest at noon. Love, Your Secret Valentine._

Something about the cutesy border of white bunnies against the pale pink background reminded him of somebody, but before he could think of a name, he became acutely aware that somebody was trying to read over his shoulder.

"What does it say? What does it say?" Eos demanded to know, shameless as she tried to snatch the letter away from him.

"Eos!" Aurora scolded.

"It's okay, Aurora," Helios assured the chocolate-eyed shrine maiden with a chuckle as he placed the letter back in the envelope. He was long accustomed to Eos' busybody nature. "It's just from somebody claiming to be a secret admirer. She wants me to meet her at the Crystal Forest at noon."

"A mysterious rendezvous? Oh, how romantic!" Eos sighed, clutching her hands to her chest. "I wish somebody would do something like that for me!"

Her more level-headed partner glanced over at the clock, which read about forty minutes before midday, and frowned. "You did say noon, didn't you?" she asked. "You should probably get going now if you don't want to keep her waiting, Helios-sama. You don't have much time."

"I'm not going, Aurora."

His announcement apparently surprised them both. "What?" they exclaimed in perfect unison.

"But you have to go!" Eos further insisted.

"Okay, what are you two not telling me?" Helios asked, starting to grow tired of this game. "I know you girls are up to something."

Quickly, Aurora tried to explain after sending a nasty glare toward her fellow Maenad. "There's nothing going on, Helios-sama. What Eos meant to say was that it would be impolite to stand the girl - whoever she is - up after she went through so much trouble."

The white-haired maiden nodded her head in agreement. "A young girl's heart is a fragile thing. You wouldn't want to hurt her feelings by not showing up, do you? She deserves better than that."

"And who knows? You might even like her."

Helios sighed. It would figure that those two would be pushing him to go. They had been trying to find him a girlfriend for years. "Look, I don't doubt that she's a very nice girl-"

"Please, Helios-sama, go to the Crystal Forest," Eos pleaded. "She at least deserves an honest answer to her feelings."

When she put it that way, Helios knew there was no way he could possibly get out of the mystery blind date without looking like the biggest jerk in history. Eos and Aurora were right; the girl deserved to be told in person that he simply wasn't interested.

"Okay, you win. I'll go," he finally agreed. "I'll be back in an hour or so."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in Fisheye's bedroom, Serenity stood in front of the mirror, modeling a slinky black number that clung seductively to her curves. She looked incredibly sexy, but she knew instinctively that it was not the right choice for her Valentine's date with Helios.

"Let's try something else, Fisheye," she said, slipping out of a pair of black stilettos and heading back behind the silk screen set up in the corner of the room to undress. "Something a little less vampy. Maybe something in red?"

The blue-haired fashionista nodded his head in understanding as he headed back in the large walk-in closet. "I know just the thing, Your Highness."

While she waited for Fisheye to return with the next dress to try on, Serenity smiled, her excitement building. She couldn't believe in just a little over thirty minutes she would be seeing Helios for the first time in years, and it was all thanks to the Amazon - no, the Matchmaker Trio, as they insisted she call them. If she had been asked a couple days ago if she had expected to spend her Valentine's Day in Elysion with three of her former enemies, trying on Fisheye's enviable wardrobe as she prepared for a date with the man she had always hoped would be her Prince Charming, she would have thought the asker was insane.

Serenity had been lucky that Prince Perle had been so understanding. When she had told him that morning what had happened the night before during her dream, he had encouraged her to go for it and wished her luck on her quest for true love. He even saw her off when she crossed back over to Elysion, a brave smile on his face. Serenity knew he had been disappointed, but like Diana had said, it wasn't fair to keep leading him on when she knew she was in love with another man.

"How about this one?" Fisheye said, breaking her from her thoughts. He came back into the main room, holding up a burgundy dress with a sweetheart neckline and flared-out skirt with one hand and a pair of matching ballet flats in the other. "I'm afraid it's not exactly red…"

"It's beautiful, Fisheye," she assured her unofficial stylist as she held her hand out from behind the screen. "Let me try it on and make sure it fits."

He handed the gown over, then headed back in the closet. "You know, I think I have a pair of garnet earrings that would look absolutely fabulous with that dress," he said. "Now if only I can find them…"

Slipping the dress, which was made of soft velvet, off the hanger, Serenity pulled it over her head, pleased when it turned out to be a perfect fit, even in the chest area. Most of the dresses she had tried on earlier tended to be rather snug in the bust, since Fisheye had no breasts to speak of, but the fabric was stretchable and very easy to move in. She would have to check her reflection in the mirror, but Serenity was almost positive she had found the perfect dress - sweet and innocent, but something that showed off the fact that she was now a grown woman.

"Fisheye, I think this is the one," she called out, slipping on the flats he had provided and walking over to the mirror, which only cemented her decision.

"Wonderful!" Exiting the closet, Fisheye began clapping in approval as Serenity modeled for him, the knee-length skirt flaring around her as she spun around. "Bellisima! Bellisima!

Serenity blushed. "You really think so?"

"Of course, Your Highness! Helios-sama won't know what hit him."

Smiling, Serenity took the garnet earrings he offered and began slipping them on. "So, where are Tigerseye and Hawkseye?" she asked, noticing for the first time that the other two-thirds of the Matchmaker Trio were nowhere in sight. They had been in the room earlier, watching her model.

Ocean blue eyes rolled as Fisheye came up behind her and draped a matching necklace around her neck. "Oh, I had to send those two perverts out of here," he explained. "They kept trying to catch a peek of you behind the screen. Men!"

Serenity wisely chose not to remind him that he was also apart of the male species.

"Besides, they had to make sure Eos and Aurora managed to convince Helios to come," he continued as he experimented with her hair, which she was currently wearing down and loose over her shoulders. "I just hope they managed to keep their hands to themselves. The last thing we need if for the Maenads to decide they don't want to help with the plan after all."

"You don't think they managed to screw things up?" Serenity asked, her heart jumping in her throat at the idea that Helios wouldn't come.

"Hawkseye can control himself, most of the time, but Tigerseye has a natural talent for making an utter fool of himself in front of the ladies, especially when Eos and Aurora are concerned. Still, I wouldn't worry about it too much, Your Highness. The Maenads want to see you two lovers reunited just as much as we do."

"Good."

Relaxing a bit at Fisheye's reassurance, Serenity let out a breath just as the door opened and the other two walked in, whistling appreciatively when they saw her in the burgundy dress.

"Wow, you're hotter than Tokyo in a heat wave, princess," Tigerseye said, earning a swift jab in the stomach courtesy of Hawkseye's elbow.

"Please, Tigerseye, have a little decorum. You're talking to a princess, not one of those girls you like to pick up in Erotica," he scolded before taking Serenity's hand and giving it a knightly kiss. "You, milady, are more beautiful than even a summer sunset."

Her cheeks flushed a lovely rose color, Serenity thanked them for the compliments before turning back to the mirror and smoothing out a few non-existent wrinkles in the soft velvet of the dress.

"So, is everything set?" she asked, hoping they hadn't done anything to mess up the plan. "Did you deliver the candy? Did Helios read my letter? He is coming, isn't he?"

With every question she asked, Serenity's voice rose slightly in pitch, betraying her nervousness even though she was trying her best to remain calm. If something went wrong…

Well, she didn't even want to think about that.

"Don't worry, princess," Hawkseye said. "Operation Candy was a complete success thanks to Eos and Aurora."

"Yeah, it was a little touch-and-go for a couple of minutes there when Helios-sama announced he wasn't coming, but the girls really came through for us. They finally managed to convince Helios-sama to go to the Crystal Forest. In fact, he's on his way right now. We just saw him leave with Pegasus," Tigerseye told her, much to Serenity's relief.

"Thank you, guys," she said sincerely, giving them each a hug. "I really don't know how I can ever repay you for everything you have done. If there's anything at all I can do for you, anything at all, just ask."

"Anything?" Hawkseye asked.

Realizing what she had said and the potential for trouble it posed, Serenity was quick to amend her offer. "Anything beyond reason, of course."

Upon hearing that, Hawkseye and Tigerseye huddled together in a corner while Fisheye finished pulling her hair back into her usual odango, apparently deciding it was the best style after all. Serenity had already promised the former fish earlier that she would send him a couple of her ball gowns and a few pieces of jewelry she never wore, so he had no need to join in the whispered conversation between his partners.

The discussion lasted for quite a while, with the two almost breaking into an argument at least two times, but by the time Fisheye had finished tying a ribbon around each of her odango and dabbed a little pale pink lip gloss on her lips, they had finally come to a decision.

"Well, there is one thing you could do for us…"

"What's that, Tigerseye?" Serenity asked, curious what they had chosen. She prayed it wasn't that love potion she had heard Tigerseye suggesting. There were some things not even a princess had the power to give.

"Get us dates with your guard."

Serenity nearly choked on the piece of candy Fisheye had offered her from a box of Valentine chocolates sitting on his dresser. That was even worse than the potion! Out of all the favors she had expected them to ask for - money, cars, clothes, jewelry - that one never even crossed her mind, for good reason.

"You mean the Sailor Quartet?" she asked, raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow courtesy of Fisheye's cosmologic talents. "You do realize they were the ones behind sending the Lemures that tried to kill you, don't you? I mean, sure, they were evil at the time…"

Tigerseye shrugged. "Eh, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones if Hawkseye is," he said. "He was the one who was killed, after all. Besides, those girls are hot!"

"Hawkseye?"

Serenity was hoping he would reject the idea, but apparently Tigerseye had already talked him into it. "That was a long time ago, Your Highness," he replied. "We all did things back then that we aren't proud of, but the important thing is that we've changed. If Helios-sama can forgive us for trying to capture him, then we can forgive the Quartet for trying to kill us."

"So you really want a date with one of my guard?"

"Ceres, actually," Hawkseye said. "She always seemed like the most mature of the bunch. Plus, she is very beautiful."

Serenity sighed, starting to regret she had ever made her offer. "What about you, Tigerseye? Which one do you have your eye on?"

"Vesta. I like her fiery attitude, and man, what a knock-out body."

Fisheye snorted. "Funny, I always imagined you with Palla," he said. "You always liked the immature ones, to go with your immature brain."

In retaliation, Tigerseye stuck out his tongue at the blue-haired man, unintentionally proving him right - at least about his immature brain. Serenity had to stop herself from snickering, pretending to be overcome with a severe coughing fit when Fisheye responded with, "Oh, that's really mature, Tigerseye," only making him madder.

"At least we're going to have dates," Tigerseye huffed, turning back to Serenity. "Right, princess?"

"Well, I suppose I can try…" she said hesitantly.

"Great. We'll pick them up at seven."

"What? Tonight?"

"Well, it is Valentine's Day," Hawkseye reminded her. "Please, princess?"

"Yes, please, princess?" Tigerseye chorused.

They looked so pathetic, Serenity couldn't bear to say no. Nodding, she promised to set them up for a romantic Valentine's double date with her two guardian soldiers before she headed for her own date.

That is, if Ceres and Vesta didn't kill her first.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Crystal Forest, despite its name, was not entirely made of crystal. Yes, it contained an abundant amount of the mineral, enough to make Swarovski drool with envy, but there were also plenty of trees and flowers surrounding the Crystal Lake, all the flora seeming to glow with an other-worldly beauty thanks to the sunlight reflecting off the crystal boulders. In all of the dream world, Helios had yet to find another place more beautiful, and he doubted he ever would.

Dismounting his loyal Pegasus, Helios lead the winged unicorn over to the lake to quench its thirst, then looked around the forest for his secret admirer. He was not looking forward to having to tell her what he had come to say, but the sooner he got it over with, the better. Unfortunately, the mystery girl had yet to arrive.

"Don't tell me she's going to stand me up," he muttered under his breath as he glanced down at his watch. It was only a couple of minutes after noon, but Helios was impatient to leave, the forest reminding him of old memories that he would prefer remain untarnished.

It was in the Crystal Forest that he had met her for the first time all those many years ago. Sensing the power of her beautiful dream, he had used his limited power to call her there, to ask for her help in overcoming the darkness that had taken a hold of Elysion and the rest of the dream world. How innocent and curious she had been, the child in teal blue pajamas…

Forcing himself to push back the memories, Helios once again looked down at his watch. One more minute. If she hadn't come by then, he was going to assume she had changed her mind about coming and leave.

Said minute came and went - several times actually - but still Helios couldn't bring himself to make good on his threat. He was in a foul mood, but his normally compassionate nature wouldn't allow him to leave when there was a possibility that the girl, whoever it was, would show up. After all, it wasn't her fault that she had picked possibly the worst choice of setting for their so-called "date". She wouldn't have known of the memories of his lost love the forest aroused in his heart.

He wondered who the girl was, anyway. Not very many people were aware of the Crystal Forest, even in the dream world. It was a special place, restricted only to those with particularly beautiful dreams. It virtually guaranteed that he had met her before, since only he could judge whose dreams were worthy enough to enter, but Helios couldn't remember anybody who appeared to have a crush on him.

Then again, he tended to be rather oblivious about such things.

Waiting a few more minutes longer, Helios finally rose from his spot on one of the crystal boulders and started to head back toward Pegasus, deciding enough was enough. The girl was over a half-hour late and apparently had decided not to come - whether out of fear or shyness, he did not know. Taking the golden reins, Helios was about to mount onto the horse's back when he sensed something that made him pause.

Helios turned back around just in time to see a blinding golden light appear only a short distance away. Spooked, Pegasus whinnied, but a few soft, reassuring words from Helios managed to calm him down. Tying the reins to a nearby tree, he walked toward the light, shielding his eyes from the severe brightness of what he knew to be a Golden Mirror.

While most dream mirrors tended to be pink, a golden dream mirror was special. Only those with the most beautiful dreams possessed one, allowing them complete access to the world of dreams, even to the Crystal Forest. As the light gradually dimmed and the mirror revealed itself, Helios gasped when he saw the reflection of a beautiful young woman formed in the glass.

"Maiden?" he whispered, hardly able to say the word aloud in fear that it was some kind of cruel, heartless joke.

Pressing her palms against the glass, the girl pushed through the mirror and entered into the dream world, a vision in burgundy velvet. Her bright red eyes brightened when she saw him, and even before the Golden Mirror had faded away in a burst of golden sparkles, she was running toward him, her long pigtails of cotton-candy pink hair bobbing behind her with every movement she made.

"Helios!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms. "I've missed you so, so much…"

Even as he held her, Helios couldn't believe she was really there, thinking he must be dreaming. A sharp pinch on his arm brought tears to his eyes, though, and he hugged her more tightly, smiling.

"It's really you…" he said, eventually disengaging himself from her embrace so that he could get a good look at the girl he hadn't seen in the flesh for over a thousand years. "Look at you! You've truly become the beautiful lady you always dreamed to become."

Bashfully, she blushed, the soft pink hue across her cheeks making her appear even more beautiful, if that was possible. "Thank you."

Taking her hand, Helios led her to the shore of the lake, where they began to take a leisurely walk. "What are you doing here? How did you arrange this?" he asked, still not fully believing she was actually there, and not just in a dream.

"I had a little help from your friends," she replied.

"Eos and Aurora did this?" It certainly helped to explain their strange behavior earlier.

"They helped a little, but mostly it was the 'Matchmaker Trio.'"

"The 'Matchmaker Trio?'" Helios repeated the name to himself, wondering who they could be. It only took a few seconds, though, for him to reconcile the new "trio" with his former-enemies-turned-friends, the Amazon Trio, and he smiled. He never even realized they knew of his feelings for the princess. "Those three…"

"Yes, they thought you deserved a Valentine, so they hijacked one of my dreams and convinced me to come see you," Serenity explained. "They really seem to care about you a lot."

"Oh, I see…"

Helios, hearing that, abruptly released the princess's hand. He knew it was too good to be true. Serenity hadn't come on her own free will; the "Matchmaker Trio" had set the whole thing up. While he appreciated the sentiments behind the surprise, the truth was she never would have come if it hadn't been for them.

Confused, Serenity glanced over at him. "Helios, what's wrong?" she asked. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Of course I am, maiden. You have no idea how much I've longed to see you again."

"But?"

Stopping, Helios turned toward the crystal blue lake, hands in his pockets as his eyes looked everywhere but at the beautiful young dreamer beside him. It took him a few moments to reveal the secret he had been holding onto for the past few years, the reason why he decided not to contact her again, though he had promised.

"Chibi-Usa," he said, calling her by the name he had known her by in the twentieth century, "I know you've found a new Prince Charming."

"What?"

"I still watch over your dreams. I saw him."

"Helios, no, you've got the wrong id-"

"You don't have to lie to me," he interrupted. "Back when you were younger, I used to be the one waiting for you at the bottom of that staircase. But you've replaced me, haven't you?" Not waiting for her to answer, he turned back around to face Serenity, a sad smile crossing his lips. "It's okay. It's true that we haven't seen each other since what happened with Nehelenia and the Dead Moon Circus in the 20th century. I don't blame you for moving on with your life."

"Helios, listen to me." Sounding every bit the regal queen she was destined to become, the crown princess took him by the shoulders and stared him straight in the eye. "The man you saw in my dream does not exist. He's just a figment of my imagination."

It was his turn to be confused. "What?"

Embarrassed, she dropped her hands from his shoulders and crossed her arms awkwardly over her chest. "Well, you see, when the years passed and you never came to see, I was under the impression you had forgotten me," she admitted, holding up a finger to silence him when Helios started to protest. "Like you said, over a millennium had passed since we last saw each other, so I didn't really blame you for forgetting your promise. It takes all my concentration just to remember a promise I made last week; I can't imagine holding onto a promise for years on end. So, I tried to make myself forget about you."

"What does this have to do with the Prince Charming I saw in your dream?" Helios asked.

"I tried to find somebody else, but the truth is, I couldn't," she continued. "None of the suitors my parents found for me could ever compare to you. Eventually, I lost all hope of ever finding the man of my dreams, so I created one - somebody I would never have, yet I wouldn't ache when I saw him."

"So he was a replacement for me."

"But only because I loved you so much, Helios. I concocted him as an impossible dream, so I wouldn't have to think of how much I missed you. Maybe I'm not making sense, but it's the truth. I promise!"

Again taking her in his arms, Helios landed a kiss on top of her head of pink tresses and sighed. He did understand and wanted to kick himself for being such an idiot. That night when he first saw her with that Prince Charming in her dreams, he should have demanded to know what was going on right then and there, instead of jumping to assumptions. He, better than anybody, should have known dreams were rarely so literal, but he had been so hurt by the sight of her dancing with another man, he had let his emotions get away from him, thinking she had found herself a new lover in the Earth Realm.

If only he had known the Prince Charming was just a defense mechanism so she wouldn't have to dream of him and bear the heartache of never seeing him…

"I'm sorry, maiden," he apologized. "I should have come sooner. I was just waiting for the right time, but when I saw him…"

"It's okay," she said. "I should have had more faith in you instead of being so impatient. I never was one for patience."

Helios chuckled, remembering how she had been in such a hurry to grow up and become a beautiful lady like her mother. Patience was definitely not one of her virtues.

"At least you're here now," he said, bringing his hand to cradle her soft cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day, my maiden."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Helios."

Wrapping his arms around his Valentine, Helios caught her lips in a sweet and tender kiss.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unbeknownst to the two new lovers, they were being spied on by a trio of matchmakers, hiding among the thick forest of trees surrounding the Crystal Lake. All three were beaming with pride when they saw Priest Helios and his maiden kiss, their hearts warm with happiness at bringing the two back together again.

"And they lived happily ever after," Fisheye sighed, hugging the trunk of the sakura tree he had been standing behind as he watched the couple finally break apart and head toward the picnic lunch the Maenads had packed for the date. "This is what Valentine's Day is all about, isn't it, guys?"

"I have to admit, we did a good thing," Hawkseye said. "I haven't seen Helios-sama this happy in years."

Tigerseye nodded his agreement. "Yeah, I really feel good about what we did. It feels…nice."

Struck by an idea, Fisheye turned around to face the others, who where sitting together on a sturdy branch in one of the other trees. "You know, guys, there's no reason why we have to stop."

"What are you talking about, Fisheye? We already got Helios-sama and the girl together. I think they can take it from here."

"I'm not talking about them; I'm talking about other people," Fisheye said, practically bursting with excitement over his new idea. "I mean, there must be tons of lonely people out there looking for love, so why don't we help them? We could go into business and call ourselves the 'Matchmaker Trio' for real! Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Fisheye expected his friends to be just as enthusiastic about the proposed business venture as he was, but it barely warranted an ounce of interest. Tigerseye, braiding his shoulder-length golden hair, appeared not to be listening, while Hawkseye just shrugged his shoulders in indifference, swinging his legs back and forth.

"It was great reuniting those two, Fisheye, but going into the matchmaking business for real…"

"Oh, come on, Hawkseye, it'll be fun," he insisted, childishly stomping his foot. "Just imagine all the happy couples we could get together."

"And think of how much time we would have to put into this business," the former hawk said in response. "It took us forever to find the princess, and that was a pretty simple case once we watched Helios-sama's dream. What if one of customers has no idea what kind of girl -"

"- or guy -"

"- they want?"

"Not to mention that it would totally ruin our social lives," Tigerseye pointed out, apparently listening after all. "When are we going to have time to find our true loves?"

Fisheye made a face, annoyed that they shot his idea down until he realized they were probably right. Opening their own matchmaking business would be more trouble than it was worth. Besides, if Priest Helios caught them using the Dream Machine again, he wouldn't care if they reunited him with his long lost love; they would be kicked out of Elysion in a heartbeat.

Leaning back against the trunk of the tree, Fisheye sighed. "Well, it was fun while it lasted," he said, watching the lovers lean in for another kiss.

"Hey, what do you say we give those two a little privacy?" Hawkseye suggested a few minutes later, jumping down from the branch and landing gracefully on the ground beside Fisheye. "They don't need us hanging around, spying on them on their date. Besides, I believe Tigerseye and I have our own date to plan."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot about that," Tigerseye said, joining them. Glancing over at Fisheye, he gave him a sympathetic look. "Oh, sorry, Fisheye. I forgot. Looks like you're the only one without a date this year."

"Yeah, sorry, Fisheye," Hawkseye echoed, actually sounding rather sincere.

Fisheye shrugged, trying to pretend that it didn't bother him, even though a part of him was seething with jealousy that they had managed to score dates for Valentine's Day with the princess's help when he hadn't. "I'll be fine," he assured them. "Who needs a lover on Valentine's Day when you've got the entire boxset of _Glee_ waiting to be watched?"

"You sure? We could probably get you a date with Pallas or Juno if you wanted to join us. I know they're not your type, but Juno can be pretty manly when she wants to be…"

Fisheye wrinkled his nose in distaste. He may be single, but he wasn't desperate enough to stoop to going on a date with a girl, no matter how masculine her personality. "No, that's okay, Hawkseye. You two go have fun with Ceres and Vesta."

"Okay, if you say so. Come on, Tigerseye. We don't want to keep the girls waiting."

After the two of them left, Fisheye stayed and watched the priest and princess for a few more minutes before finally deciding to head back home himself. As happy as he was that they were together, there was only so much kissing he could take without wanting to gag at the cuteness.

Fisheye now understood how Priest Helios must have felt without his princess at his side. There was nothing like Valentine's Day to show a single person just how lonely and pathetic they really were. In years past, he had taken comfort in the fact that Tigerseye and Hawkseye rarely had dates either for the special day, but for the first time ever, he would be spending the most romantic night of the year alone with not even his best friends for company.

Arriving back at his apartment at the shrine, he put in one of his DVDs, a sappy romantic tear-jerker, and plopped down on the couch with what remained of the box of candy he had given himself, though thanks to the princess's sweet tooth, it was nearly empty. Fisheye soon became so wrapped up in the movie that he barely noticed when somebody knocked on the door about midway through the movie and came in when he didn't answer.

"Ah, I see you're watching _Love Story_ again," one of the intruders said, startling Fisheye, who involuntarily jumped in surprise at the unexpected interruption.

Reaching over the back of the couch, the other man, a handsome blond, stole a piece of caramel chocolate from the box and popped it in his mouth. "Hey, it's only us. You don't have to freak out."

Once his heart calmed back down to a normal rhythm, Fisheye paused the movie and turned around on the couch to face his two friends, who were dressed in rather snazzy tuxedos. "What are you two doing here?" he demanded to know. "I thought you had a date."

"We did, but we decided to take a rain check," Hawkseye said, taking a seat on the couch. "We felt bad for leaving you all alone on Valentine's Day."

Fisheye raised a doubtful eyebrow. "Really?" he drawled. "Or did Ceres and Vesta stand you guys up?"

"Well, that, too."

"I knew it was too good to be true when the princess said they would love to go out with us," Tigerseye mumbled, throwing himself on the other side of Fisheye as he undid the knot in his bright orange bowtie.

"Eh, I wasn't too disappointed. They did kill me after all."

"I thought you said you had forgiven them."

"That's when I thought I was going to have a chance with Ceres," Hawkseye said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Anyway, since our plans were a bust, mind if we crash here with you, Fisheye?"

Fisheye tapped his chin with a red-painted fingernail, pretending to think it over. "I don't know. You guys did ditch me on Valentine's to go after girls who weren't even interested in you… I'm not sure I like the idea of being your back-up plan."

"Come on, Fisheye. It's not like that."

The blond nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you know we love you, you crazy fish-brain."

"You do, Tigerseye?" Fisheye asked, unable to resist a little good-natured teasing as he leaned against his blond friend's shoulder and batted his false eyelashes. "Why, I never knew you felt that way about me."

"Not like THAT!" Blushing furiously, Tigerseye pushed him off his shoulder. "But, yeah, you're like the brother I never had. Or at least remembered."

"I feel exactly the same way," Hawkseye said. "You're family, Fisheye, no matter what happens, and we love you."

"Aww, guys..." Touched by their words, Fisheye wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders and gave them a hug. "I love you, too."

"Okay, enough with the mushy stuff," Tigerseye said once the moment had passed. "What do you say we get drunk and head to Erotica? I hear they're having a Valentine's Day special."

It sounded like a plan to him.


End file.
